Oil prices have surged since the start of the conflict with Iran and American consumers are going to suffer the consequences at the gas pump, but the higher cost of energy won’t show up in the latest reading on U.

As energy prices rise, the inflation picture is muddied by an unusual divergence between two key gauges of consumer costs.

Inflation may have been relatively tame in February, but that might not matter much to financial markets and the Fed.

Inflation likely was elevated last month even before the spike in oil and gas prices of the past two weeks that is expected to send consumer costs soaring in the months ahead.

The Consumer Price Index for February will be reported at 8:30 a.m. ET Wednesday and is expected to show that prices rose only slightly right before the Iran war sent energy costs skyrocketing.

Eight hundred thousand dollars sounds like a lot. For a single retiree in 2026, it buys a livable retirement, but not a comfortable one without careful management. The math is tighter than most people expect.

BEIJING, March 9 (Reuters) - China's consumer inflation accelerated to the highest in more than three years due to the effects of the Lunar New Year holiday, while producer deflation persisted as weak demand remained a drag on an economy facing stiff external challenges.